<
>

Everybody has big day for Raiders, who match their 2014 win total

SAN DIEGO -- Sunday was a day of celebration for the Oakland Raiders, who matched their win total from last season.

These types of days haven’t happened very often in the past decade-plus.

The Raiders hammered the San Diego Chargers on Sunday. The final score was 37-29, but the Chargers scored 23 points in garbage time. This game was never in doubt.

Oakland simply toyed with the Chargers, torching San Diego in every phase of the game. The Raiders did whatever they wanted. It was 30-6 at the half and wasn’t even that close.

The Raiders are now 3-3 on the season. Their two other victories were in close battles; this was the first time they had a laugher. In fact, it was the first time in several years the Raiders dominated an opponent. It was the first time in five years that Oakland had a 20-point lead at halftime.

One reason to get excited: The Raiders played great in all three phases of the game. It’s the first time that has happened this season. If the Raiders can find consistency on both sides of the ball, they can make some noise -- this year.

One reason to panic: Nothing today, folks. It was all working for the Raiders on Sunday.

Fantasy watch: Oakland receiver Amari Cooper had his usual big performance in the first half. Cooper had 117 yards on four catches, including a 52-yard touchdown in which he showed his special yards-after-the-catch ability. He finished with five catches for 133 yards. Yes, his second-half lack of production continued, but the game was well in hand.

Ouch: The one bummer for the Raiders was rookie linebacker Neiron Ball injured his knee in the first half and was ruled out. It would hurt the Raiders if Ball missed significant time. He was playing a lot, and well, on defense in the past two weeks.

Take a bow, Raiders fans: There were many Raiders fans here, and they were loud. As was the case with the Steelers and Packers, the Raiders were a quasi-home team in San Diego. Any time the home quarterback has trouble hearing, the visiting crowd is doing something right.